Legal Metrology Department

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Legal Metrology Department

The Weights and Measures Department was renamed according to the OIML, located in Paris, (International Organization for Legal Metrology) instruction as Legal Metrology Department. The Department is working under Food & Consumer Affairs ministry.

Definition of Legal Metrology

Legal metrology comprises all activities for which legal requirements are prescribed on measurement, units of measurement, measuring instruments and methods of measurement, these activities being performed by or on behalf of governmental authorities, in order to ensure an appropriate level of credibility of measurement results in the national regulatory environment.

Government of Kerala

Kerala is a state in the Union of India. The Legal Metrology Department was formed in 1961 and Mr Adoor Prakash is the minister (Legal Metrology, Coir).

Official website

The periodical verification and stamping of weight and measures; licensing of dealers, repairing and manufacturing of weights and measures; registration of users of weights; and prosecution of offenders are the basic duties of the Department of Legal Metrology.

Legal Metrology's motto : No less no more, but just exact.

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Functions

Consumer protection and maintenance of accuracy of 'weights & measures' used in trade and commerce is the prime duty of the Department. Checks packages for the statutory required declarations, so that the consumer get the exact weight/measure/number of the item contained in the package at a fixed all inclusive slae price - MRP. The Standards of weights & Measures (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 1977 helps the user to choose the fresh package/item by checking the printed Packed date.

The Department enforving officials are conducting numerous inspections at shops and other trade premises and book cases relating to weights and measures and packaged commodities.

Any business firm wanting to use any type of weights or measure, must register with the Department and also must periodically seek their verification for accuracy of the equipments. A Certificate will be issued to the firm after stamping the weighing/ measurement instrument. As per the rule, the trader/user has to display the Certificate near the instrument.

The Department is serving the general public by assuring them that they are getting the correct quantity/measure/number of items from the shops.

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To whom to Contact

In case of complaints, one may contact Inspector at Taluk level, Assistant Controller at District level and Deputy Controller at regional level. Still, the complaint is not attended properly, contact :

The Controller, Legal Metrology, Vikas Bhavan, Thiruvananthapuram -695033
Ph : 0471 - 2305996, Fax : 0471 - 2305996
Email : [email protected]
[email protected]

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Weights & Measures means all equipments described in the Legal Metrology Act & Rules.

Precission electronic balance (Mettler Toledo, 0.1 mg)



Adair Dutt Max. 420 g, e= 1 mg electronic balance (AJ Tuning fork balance)

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International System of Units

If people of every region use a different unit for weighing, the trade between these two regions will create problems. Now a days inter continental trade is common and the use of a common unit in measurement become essential.

SI (System International) presctibe the unit and it's symbol for international use.

Lenth, mass, time, temperature, volume etc are considered to be basic quantities. The standard unit for the measurement with it's symbol in bracket are

Length : metre (m)
Mass : gram (g)
Time : second (s)
Temperature : kelvin (K) also degree celcius (°C)
Volume : litre (l)

Units are always written singular. There is not dot after the unit symbol. One character space is provided between numeral and unit or it's symbol. Unit with the name of a scientist is always written in lowercase, while the symbol will be in Uppercase.

Eg :

Force : newton (N)
Energy : joule (J)
Power : watt (W)
Voltage : volt (V)
Current : ampere (A)

Prefixes permitted to use with standard symbols are

c - centi (10 ^-2)
m - milli (10 ^-3)
k - kilo (10 ^3)
M - mega (10 ^6)

Prefixes are helpful to write large and small measurements convienently.

Eg :

1,000 m = 1 km
1,000 ml = 1 l
11,000 V = 11 kV
1,000 mg = 1 g
1, 000 kg= 1 t (t, symbol for ton)

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Conversion table

In the earlier days, there were a number of units were used for weighing and measurement in various countries. Later, due to the growth of inter continental trade, a common unit become necessary for the trade.

The following table can be used for unit conversion.

Length

1 mile = 1760 yard
1 mile = 8 furlong
1 furlong = 10 chain
1 chain = 4 rod
1 rod = 5 1/2 yard
1 yard = 3 feet
1 foot = 12 inch

Standard Unit : metre

Area

1 sq. mile = 640 acre
1 acre = 4840 sq. yard
1 sq. yard = 9 sq. feet
1 sq. foot = 144 sq. inch

Standard Unit : metre^2 (sq m)

1 are = 2.47 cents

Volume

1 gal = 4 quart
1 quart = 2 pint
1 pint = 4 gill
1 pint = 34.6774 inch3
1 gill = 5 fl. oz
1 fl. oz = 8 fl. drachm
1 US gal = 0.8327 gal
1 US pint = 0.8327 pint
1 US pint = 16 fl. oz
1 yard3 = 27 feet3
1 foot3 = 1728 inch3

Standard Unit : metre^3 (cub. m)

Weight

1 ton = 20 cwt
1 ton = 2240 lb
1 ton = 1.12 US ton
1 cwt = 4 quarter
1 quarter = 2 stone
1 stone = 14 lb
1 lb = 16 oz
1 oz = 16 dram
1 oz = 437.5 grain
1 US ton = 2000 lb
1 Sovereign = 8 g

Cast Iron weights



Sovereign is a British gold coin (22 carat) with a gold content of 7.322 g (113 grains) weighing 7.9881 g. The coin has a thickness of 1.52 mm and a diameter of 22.05 mm. The coin has an effigy of St George.

Standard Unit : gram
conveniently kilogram and ton are used.

Brass weights

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Kerala Legal Metrology Department Pay revision 2010

Designation, No of posts, Present scale of pay & proposed pay scale

Controller 1 20700-26600 40640-54140
Deputy Controller 3 13610-20700 24040-36140
Assistant Controller 28 12250-19800 21240-34500 1/4th of posts will be in HG on Rs.24040-36140.
Senior Inspector(HG) 3 11910-19350 20740-33650 20% of the posts will be in
Senior Inspector 15 10790-18000 18740-31360 the HG.
Technical Assistant 1 8390-13270 14620-23480
Inspector 83 8390-13270 16180-27140

Inspecting Assistant 112 5650-8790 9940-15380 : The existing ratio of HG will be modified as 1:1 in the scale of Rs.10480-17420.
Senior Superintendent 1 10790-18000 18740-31360
Junior Superintendent 2 9190-15510 16180-27140
Head Clerk 3 8390-13270 14620-23480

UD Clerk 28 6680-10790 13210-20740
UD Typist 1 6680-10790 13210-20740
LD Clerk 15 5250-8390 9940-15380
Confidential Asst. 1 6080-9830 10480-17420
LD Typist 2 5250-8390 9940-15380
LD Clerk/Typist 14 5250-8390 9940-15380

Class IV Employee Gr. II 89 4510-6230 8500-12220
Attender 1 4630-7000 8730-12550
Driver 29 5250-8390 9190-14620
Full Time Watcher 57 4510-6230 8500-12220
Full Time Watcher-cum-Sweeper 6 4510-6230 8500-12220
Law Officer 1 12930-20250 22360-35320

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The Legal Metrology Act, 2009 has been passed by the Parliament of India on January 13, 2010. The related rules are

• The Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011
• The Legal Metrology (General) Rules, 2011
• The legal Metrology (National Standards) Rules, 2011
• The legal Metrology (Numeration) Rules, 2011
• The Legal Metrology (Approval of Models) Rules, 2011
• The Indian Institute of Legal Metrology Rules, 2011

The new Act & Rules will replace the old Standards of Weights and Measures Act, 1976 and Standards of Weights and Measures (Enf) Act, 1985.

Salient features

1. The new Act stresses the importance of the usage of standard unit and symbols - like kilogram (kg), carat (c), milligram (mg), litre (l), tonne (t), metre (m) etc.

2. Manufacturing, selling or importing pre-packaged commodities without mandatory declarations as per rule 6 of LM (PC) Rules, 2011 - Sec 18(1) r/w 36(1) Fine of Rs 25,000 for the first offense. Fine upto Rs 50,000 for 2nd offense and Rs. 50,000 to 1,00,000 for subsequent offense and or 1 year imprisonment.

3. A manufacturer may repair his own weight or measure in a state where he holds no license.

4. Appointment of Government approved Test Centers for verification of weights and measures.

Consumer Protection is the main motto of Legal Metrology Department.

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The Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011

Packages leaving the manufacturers' premises require all the mandatory declarations.

Stickers not to be used for making mandatory declarations on a package - rule 6(3).

Homeopathy, Unani, Sidha, Ayurvedic medicine packages are covered by this rules.

Allowing the companies to nominate a person who will be held responsible for breach of provisions of the Act, simplified definition of Packaged Commodity and more stringent punishment for violation of provisions.

Nomination by the director of a firm
(rule 29 of Legal Metrology (General) Rules, 2011)

A company may inform the Director or the concerned Controller or his authorized officer, by notice in duplicate, containing the name and address of the Director, who has been nominated by it under sub-section (2) of Section 49 of the Act to be in-charge of and responsible to the company for the conduct of the business of the company or any establishment, branch or unit thereof.

The nomination will not be valid unless the Director who has been so nominated, gives his consent in writing and has affixed his signature, in duplicate in token of such consent.

Penalty

Rule 27 to 31 r/w rule 32(1) : Any one who pre-packs or imports any commodity for sale is required to be registered within 30 days of commencement of pre-packing or importing. Fine of Rs 4000.

Other rule violation r/w 32(2) : Fine of Rs 2000

Packer Registration fee Rs 500. Amendment fee Rs 100.

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• Weigh Bridge : They are of Pit type and pit less type with capacity varying from 10 to 200 ton.

Load Cell is the heart of an electronic weigh bridge. A load cell is a transducer that is used to convert a force into electrical signal. It senses the strain and convert it to mV and the micro controller based Digitizer converts the signal received to weight. Display is of LED/LCD 7 segment type reading weight in kg/t. Using an RS 232C port, the data can be send to a computer for taking printout. Password protected software is used for calibration of the Weighbridge.





The Weigh Bridge verification Mobile Kits are efficiently utilized by the Legal Metrology Department for testing the accuracy of Weigh Bridges in the Kerala State. Each kit is provided with verified test weight of the range of 1 ton to 50 kg with a maximum of 12100 kg. A folding type hydraulically operated crane is mounted on the test kit to lift these weights. The time duration for this verification has been reduced by 3 to 4 hours. The main advantage of this kit is that the verification is quick and highly accurate. A user fee of Rs 5000/- per unit has been fixed by the Government for utilizing this facility.